The term 'people mover' is a peculiarly Australian term for a multi-seat vehicle whose express purpose is to transport at least six people - but less than about 10.

It is believed to have been coined by Toyota in the early 1980s when it wanted to market its first passenger-car centric MPV, the Tarago.

In fact, the term 'Tarago' has entered the Australian lexicon as a generic term for MPV or people mover, and Toyota may eventually be in danger of losing the rights to this name.

People movers are known by many other names overseas, such as the MPV Multi Purpose Vehicle, minivan or (mini van or mini-van), minibus, mini carrier, mini utility vehicle or people carrier.

Confusingly, Mazda marketed a full-sized people mover known as the MPV from 1994 to 2006.

Top^What makes a people mover different from other multi-seat vehicles?

People movers or MPVs are designed specifically and primarily to transport people.

So while a five-seater SUV with a third row back seat that folds into the floor like a Mitsubishi Outlander is technically also a people mover, it is not designed primarily to be a seven-seater people mover, but an SUV.

Similarly, ordering an MPV or people mover with AWD all-wheel drive does not make it an off-roader first-and-foremost.

To aid its role as a mover of people, people movers or MPVs usually have a few design traits in common - tall and upright styling of up to 1800mm in height (about 300mm taller than a regular passenger car) in order to facilitate entry and egress to all seating positions

a cargo area beyond the space used up by a second or third row of seats, so luggage or other items can be transported with their owners

and a boxy silhouette so the maximum number of people can fit inside safely and comfortably.

No, there are many variations to how a carmaker might present its people mover's seating arrangements.

Most popular is the seven-seater people mover with a 2+3+2 seating configuration from front to rear. This layout is typical of models such as the Honda Odyssey.

Then there is the 2+3+3 layout as you might find in a Toyota Tarago, or a 3+3+3 set-up.

Some vehicles even have a 3+3 arrangement that allows for shorter wheelbase MPVs or people movers (the 1999 Fiat Multipla springs to mind), although no modern examples of such vehicles are available in Australia.

Top^Are there big differences in the engineering between people movers sold in Australia?

Basically, people movers or MPVs are either car-based or commercial van-based.

The car-based people movers are generally better to drive, more refined, and often easier on the eye. An example of this is the Mitsubishi Grandis, Chrysler Voyager or Toyota Tarago.

Commercial van-based people movers or MPVs, on the other hand, tend to be bigger, boxier and more utilitarian. These vary in size, from compact (Volkswagen Caddy Maxi Life) to quite square and stately (Mercedes-Benz Viano).

Most of the car-based People Movers or MPVs are front-wheel drive - since they are based on small or medium-sized passenger vehicles - while the larger commercial van ones tend to be rear-wheel drive, such as the Hyundai iMax.

You bet there are. But the way the FCAI Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries classifies people movers or MPVs is by price, rather than by size as is done in many other countries.

So, in Australia, there are the Sub-$55,000 People Movers and the 'Over-$55,000 People Movers - with the former category comprising of more than 90 per cent of all sales.

This compares to the Mini MPV, Compact MPV and Large MPV categories in Europe.

The Mini MPV is comprised of light-car (or supermini, or B-segment) based models such as the Ford Fiesta-based Ford Fusion or Opel Corsa-derived Meriva, but this class is deemed too small for Australians.

The Compact MPV segment, on the other hand, is usually made up of C-segment or small-car based vehicles, such as the Renault Megane-derived Scenic, Citroen C4-based C4 Picasso and the Kia Rondo.

There were several other Compact MPV models available between 2001 and 2006, such as the Holden Zafira (derived from the Astra), Mazda Premacy (323) and Hyundai La Vita (Elantra), but all sold poorly.

However, the Kia Rondo's arrival in Australia and its subsequent success may see the return of other Compact SUVs soon.